Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
by PossibleEnigma
Summary: A couple of days before the Christmas of 1996, a mysterious girl with connections to the Weasley's shows up, covered in wounds. Who is this mysterious girl and why won't Fred leave her side? Could she have information on Lord Voldemort?
1. A Mysterious Stranger

Hey guys :) So this is my first fanfic and I hope you like it :) Let me know any comments or constructive criticism you all have and let me know if you want me to continue. I probably will anyways though because I like writing this ^^. Anyways enjoy!

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to the epically brilliant J. K. Rowling. I do however own Perdita! Woo hoo, victory!

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><p>It was a quiet evening at the Burrow. Or at least it would have been was it not for the shouted threats that echoed through the barely lit surroundings. Fred and George Weasley victoriously dashed through the rooms, barely out of their younger brother Ron's reach. Whenever Ron would gain on the two mischief-makers, a small, oddly shaped object was tossed back and forth between the grinning twins. When this happened Ron would grow increasingly frustrated and be caught off guard just long enough for the pair to once again get ahead.<p>

After a third round of the keep-away game, Ron came to a halt before letting an awkward noise loose that sounded to be caught somewhere between a frustrated growl and a defeated cry. "Fred! George! Give me back my chocolate frog!"

"Aww, does poor little Won Won want his candy?" came Fred's taunting reply. By now George and he had also come to a stop and were now leaning against the edges of the door jamb they were currently squished into side by side. Fred continued to smirk at Ron with a twinkle in his eye as George carelessly waved the unopened sweet in Ron's face, scarlet from a combination of the sprinting he had previously participated in and the anger now bubbling up inside him.

"Shut up Fred! I don't care about the chocolate, I just want the card." His brothers were getting on his last nerve. Ron had spent a good fifteen minutes chasing after them, trying to retrieve _his_ property, only to have it be dangled in front of him as if it were all good fun.

"Well in that case….." and with a dramatic removal of the protective casing, George pulled out his wand and wordlessly hardened the animated confection before breaking it in two and gobbling it down alongside Fred. "Mmmm, wasn't that a treat."

He was met with a restrained reply through clenched teeth. "Alright, you two have had your fun now give me the card."

"You mean this card?" Fred quickly snatched the flat, rectangular object in question from George's grasp and held it up to the light. Upon witnessing Ron tense up he moved to stash the card in his back pocket only to be foiled when a pale, dainty hand retrieved it from him

"Honestly, don't you two have anything better to do than working Ron's last nerve?" Ginny glided across the room to the astonishment of her brothers and placed the card in Ron's awaiting hand. "Really, all that trouble for a stupid little card," was the last thing stated before she left the calmed scene to, presumably, head to her room.

Before she was out of sight Ron offered a simple "Thank you Ginny," before shooting his brothers a victorious grin and also making his leave. Now that their little game had been brought to an end, the twins were left with only the option of returning to their room to cook up another troublesome scheme.

**(...)**

A good hour or so after the ruckus that is Fred and George Weasley took place, the residents of the Burrow had been called for supper. Seated around the lengthy table sat the Weasley family, minus Percy and Charlie, as well as Fleur Delacour, Remus Lupin, and Harry Potter.

As the food floated out to be placed in front of each individual, the dining area came to life with enthusiastic chatter and playful jostling. The former tension between Ron and the twins was forgotten as soon as Fred made a quip about Fleur's accent causing the table to erupt into laughter while Bill tried to tell his fiancé they were only messing around.

"That's the whole reason you met, right Fleur? You wanted to eeemprove your Eeenglish." Thinking back about her first encounter with Bill at Gringotts, Fleur's irritation dissipated and the conversation moved on to new topics as everyone began to indulge in Molly's cooking.

After a number of good laughs and full stomachs, the group retired into the sitting room. It was nearing the holidays and most nights now the Weasley's and their guests would join each other following dinner and enjoy their evening, concocting up new and…..interesting ways to spend their time. This particular evening they had chosen to play a game of charades…..upside down. As it was Ron's turn, he was attached to the ceiling; his head a good couple of yards above the ground and was flailing his arms about and swaying back and forth.

"Ron, you're supposed to act like something other than yourself," came Fred's teasing comment which, in turn, brought forth another round of giggles. Ron, letting out an irritated sigh, began to bob his head, up and down, back and forth.

After another couple minutes of trying to figure out what odd thing Ron was impersonating, Harry, for no specific reason, turned his head to face the window, giving him a wonderfully clear view of the Burrow's small yard. However, right as he was about to turn his head back to Ron's sporadic movements, something caught his eye. It was a girl; a young woman with short, choppy blonde hair and fair skin, cloaked in black. Harry was certain she hadn't been there before and seeing as how Harry wasn't going crazy, she had to be a wizard. And judging from her attire, Harry was beginning to worry that Voldemort had decided to send them his Christmas present a little early.

"Uhm, guys? I don't mean to break up the fun, but it looks like we have a visitor." The room got deathly silent before everyone made a mad dash for the window. No one moved as they studied the approaching figure, now hidden from the moonlight by a thick tree. Once she moved out of the darkness though, all of the Weasleys' breaths hitched.

It was utterly silent before one word slipped through a certain Weasley's mouth. "Perdita." And with that Fred sprinted out of the house so fast, it was a surprise he wasn't flying. He was soon followed by the rest of his family and shortly after, confused by the strangeness of it all, Harry and Remus.

Making their way towards the girl in black, Harry and Remus couldn't help wondering what was going on. The Weasley didn't seem to be afraid, only worried. Not for their health, but for hers. So how did they know her? Their friends had a lot of explaining to do.

Just as they were getting close, the mysterious girl collapsed. Within seconds they had reached her and Fred hastily knelt beside her and began frantically checking her, making sure she was okay. Harry noticed that she was covered in numerous scratches, cuts, and bruises. There was one particularly large gash across her right shoulder that was oozing so much blood it was no wonder she fainted.

All the Weasleys looked on with concerned faces, Molly and Ginny very near tears. What was going on?

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><p>Hope you guys liked it! I'll try and get another chappy up soon :)<p> 


	2. Who Is Perdita?

**Hi everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Senior year was not kind to me :P I will, however, try to update relatively soon. I made this chapter kinda long and explained a lot of stuff to kinda make up for my mini hiatus. It's a little rushed but whatev :/ Hope you like it!**_  
><em>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I do, however, own St. Aesalon and all its inhabitants :)**

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><p><em>The Day Before<em>

The rain had finally come to a stop in the little wizarding town of St. Aesalon. The last few days had been a continuous downpour that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. The reprieve had been greatly anticipated, especially by one Perdita Massingham-the owner of the local pub, Roost. The near constant rain had led many a persons to take shelter in her cozy little pub, with which brought much business. Now normally this is something to look forward to, but since this time it had occurred nonstop for days and as a result Perdita had not acquired much sleep, a break was well-deserved.

As people started to slowly leave the premises, a tall, dark-skinned woman accompanied by an even taller fair-skinned man entered and made their way to the bar where Perdita now stood. It was a while before Perdita noticed their presence-as she had just begun to collect the carelessly scattered bottles and glasses and stack them to be taken to the kitchen and cleaned-but when she did, she was met by two excited pairs of eyes-one a deep chocolate brown that appeared impatient, the other a shining shade of hazel that seemed almost to be smiling.

"Mona, Lee? What are you two doing here?" Standing before her with matching goofy lopsided smiles stood her best friends, Desdemona Abshire and Liam Mayer. Though they were more commonly referred to as Mona (or Desie) and Lee.

"We came to tell you the news." As she said this, Mona kept switching her weight from one foot to the other, unable to keep still. Her giant mass of frizzy brown hair bounced up and down, almost as if the tight ringlets had a mind of their own. Lee watched her wearily, afraid that his girlfriend might burst from the energy any second.

"Ok, well are you gonna tell me or just keep bouncing around like a lunatic?"

Ignoring her comment, Mona just continued her bouncing. "Well, to celebrate the first clear weather we've had in days; the whole town is getting together for a Quidditch match!" After relaying the information she had been so excited to deliver, she began to balance on the balls of her feet, ready to sprint to the field once given the chance. If there was one thing that could be trusted to work Mona up every time, it was Quidditch. Her love for the sport exceeded that of even the top professionals. "Come on, we can't start without our resident keeper."

"Mona, look at this place. I mean in case you haven't noticed, it's kind of a wreck. I can't just leave."

"Don't worry Madam Perdita. I'll take care of it." The trio turned to see a small, even by their standards, house-elf walk forward. She was decorated in a delicate blue dress with white trim and a matching bow, evidence to the fact that she was employed at Roost by will and not by force.

"Are you sure Tilly? I don't want to leave you to take care of all this by yourself."

"Not to worry Miss. I'll handle it." To emphasize her point, she offered up a sweet, shy smile.

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am. Now go enjoy your game, you deserve it after these last few days."

"Thank you Tilly. I shouldn't be back late." And with that, they headed to the field to start their game.

**(…)**

The next day Perdita was slow to wake. She had been out later than she had expected, having been practically dragged to Mona's house in order to celebrate their victory-or as Perdita had pointed out, to celebrate their celebration.

Dragging herself out of her four-poster, Perdita readied herself for the day before exiting her bedroom and descending the stairs to the base floor of Roost. There she was met with the sight of Tilly preparing tables for the day. Giving her a quick nod, Perdita headed into the kitchen to start breakfast for the large sum of individuals, wizard and muggle alike, who were sure to stop by for their early morning meal.

An hour or so later Perdita stood behind the bar at the end of the room, numerous alcoholic beverages and the kitchen entrance framing her figure. The rest of the room was littered with the forms of individuals devouring their freshly cooked meals.

It was a…peculiar sight for outsiders. Persons of every age and either gender filled the large room, gathered around numerous tables chatting openly. Of course, that part was fairly normal. However, the almost equal distribution of wizards and muggles with knowledge of the wizarding world wasn't. Now, it was common knowledge that anything magic related was kept secret from the majority of muggles, unless that muggle just so happened to have a wizard child or spouse. These muggles for the majority though, had no magic-endowed relatives. No, the only reason they were aware of their neighbors' extraordinary abilities is because they had grown up with that knowledge.

St. Aesalon was a small community in Northern Ireland, a little outside Belfast. For the longest time it had been a place where muggles and magic folk could reside side by side without fear or lies. It had started out as a safe haven for muggle-borns and their families, quickly catching the attention of wizarding families with a desire to coincide peacefully with muggles and growing to encompass a close-knit community. It was a wonder it had survived the terror of Voldemort. Numerous spells and enchantments had been utilized in order to prevent it being found and, luckily, the small town was not too well-known. Regardless of how it happened, the inhabitants were overwhelmingly relieved to have been spared. So while it may have seemed strange to outsiders to witness muggles chatting it up, completely calm, as a witch or wizard employed some charm or another, the inhabitants of St. Aesalon regarded it as normal and were quite content that way.

**(…)**

It was well past lunch when Mona and Lee stopped by Roost to see Perdita. Mona, the local broom maker, had spent the entire day restocking her inventory and Lee had been keeping busy in his apothecary tending to the needs of his customers. Walking up to the bar, Perdita disappeared into the kitchen only to return with two sandwiches which she placed in front of her two friends. Having been a member of the community for 4 years now, Perdita had made numerous close connections. These two, however, were her closest. Mona and Perdita had hit it off as soon as they met. Having been born and raised in St. Aesalon, Mona took it upon herself to act as a sort of self-appointed guide, her hyper personality complimenting Perdita's mischievous one. In contrast, Lee and Perdita had known each other since they were 12. Both attended the great _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ and met in their second year, quickly becoming best friends. When Perdita left halfway through her third year, Lee took it upon himself to follow and make sure she was alright. Three years later they happened upon St. Aesalon. Feeling like they had found their home (and for Lee, the love of his life in Mona) they stayed.

Now Perdita milled about Roost, cleaning up messes, filling glasses to the brim with any and all beverages, making meals, and chatting with locals. The laughter of children filtered through the door to the game room and hoots echoed down from the ceiling where numerous owls roosted (hence the pub name). Tilly, Perdita's hired house elf, busied herself in the kitchen, occasionally coming out to assist Perdita with her cleaning. It wasn't until after dinner had been served, eaten, and cleaned up that Perdita ventured back over to visit with Mona and Lee. Sipping Butterbeer and onion soup, she set another bowl of soup on the ground and two bowls of unidentified meat on the counter just as a crup, an augurey, and a barn owl each rushed to their respective meals.

"Hungry little devils aren't they?"

"You'd be surprised Lee by how much these guys eat." Ruffling the augurey's feathers affectionately Perdita directed her next question at her best gal friend. "Do you know when the new supplies will be arriving?"

"You mean for the new renovations? I don't know. Jess said that they were waiting for all the stuff from Edinburg to arrive before they sent anything over."

"Figures." Rolling her eyes, Perdita studied her now empty glass. Withdrawing her wand from her boot she muttered two simple words, "Accio Butterbeer." A large pitcher of amber liquid levitated through the kitchen doorway and landed in front of Perdita who then proceeded to refill her glass.

"Getting a bit lazy are we?"

"Shut it Lee, I'm tired." She let a small smile grace her lips to let him know, she wasn't serious. Though, he probably would have figured it out pretty easily anyway having known her for 8 years.

Lee was about to reply when all of a sudden Calum Abernathy, an instructor at the local wizardry school, burst in.

"Attack! There's been an attack on the school!" And just like that an uproar surfaced.

"Wha-Calm down everyone! Quiet, we need to figure this out!" Perdita's cries were effectively drowned out by the shouts of enraged parents. Perdita turned to Mona, shooting her a pleading look.

"QUIET!" That girl had some serious lungs. Everyone did as ordered and turned toward the trio. Perdita quickly stepped forward.

"Thanks Mona. Now Calum, I want you to calmly explain what happened." Calum, clearly distraught nodded his head before recalling the event.

"It was awful Perdy, I-I was at the school, going over papers you know? All of a sudden flames burst out of nowhere! At first I thought it might have been one of the local kids playing a prank, but then when I went outside, there were all these black clad figures, mean looking men and women openly firing at the grounds. One of them, he-he saw me. He fired the Killing Curse! I dodged behind the wall and then apparated here. Why would they attack the school?"

Murmurs filled the room. Parents drew their children close. Someone, one ofthe muggle boys managed to voice everyone's worst fear: "Were they Death Eaters?" The quiet that followed was unnerving. They had all heard the news of Voldemort's return. Everyone had been hoping that they would be able to come out unscathed like last time. That was a mistake.

"I-I think so." Cries of disbelief filled the room. Perdita looked to Mona again.

"GUYS!" Quiet.

"Thanks. Alright, the school is a little outside town, they'll have to make their way to town, but now they know they've been seen. Quinton, Hal, Marlin, Irwin, Silas. Head around town and pick up anyone who's still out and bring them here. Go, hurry now. Mona, Lee. You guard the entrance. Make sure no Death Eaters get anywhere near here. The rest of you, follow me." Turning, she headed into the kitchen followed by the other room inhabitants. Moving towards the back of the kitchen, Perdita pulled out her wand and tapped it on the wall. A doorway appeared with stairs leading down to another floor. Torches lined the stairway and bottom floor.

Once everyone was in the room Perdita moved to the far end of the room and once again touched her wand to the wall. A pathway appeared. Walls lined with torches and no floor, it seemed to go on and on. Moving to the left she touched her wand to the wall again and revealed a large supply of brooms. Stepping back she took a look at the muggles and wizards watching her expectantly.

"Tilly." With a loud crack the petite house elf appeared in front of her. "Tilly I need you to apparate to the tunnels end location. Wait for everyone there, OK? Once everyone is there I need you to make sure everyone is taken care of until I get there. Will you do that for me please?"

"Of course Madam Perdita."

"Thank you. And please take Gwynplaine with you." At the sound of his name a small crup came running forward and leapt into Tilly's arms.

"I shall be awaiting your arrival Madam." And with another loud crack they were gone. Right at that moment Quinton, Hal, Marlin, Irwin, and Silas ran into the room and headed straight to Perdita.

"That's everyone. Most of the town was already here. We just had to pick up a few stragglers."

"Alright. Now, everyone listen up. I want every able bodied flier to step for-" A loud crashing sound broke through the building and Perdita mumbled a curse. "Alright now! Fliers where are you?" More than half the town stepped forward. "OK now pair up with a non-flier. No one gets left behind, understand?...Alright, that everyone?..OK, now, you're gonna use these brooms here to fly through this tunnel. Dea and Linnea will show you the way." The augurey and barn owl from earlier flew forward. "It'll lead to an opening. Don't land, just keep following them, OK? Now come on, pairs step forward."

Perdita then proceeded to hand out broomsticks and once Dea and Linnea took off they were followed until every last townsfolk was gone. All but three that is. Perdita ran back up to the main floor just as another crash shook the building. Steadying herself, she readied her wand and sprinted to the entrance. There Mona and Lee stood, firing off spell after spell.

"Mona, Lee. You OK?"

"Lee took a minor hit."

"It's alright, nothing serious. Expelliarmus!" A rather large Death Eater went flying as three more appeared.

"We've gotta slow them down!"

"I've got it. You guys, head down to the tunnel, now!"

"Perdi-"

"Now Mona!" With a reluctant nod Mona and Lee ran back inside. Deflecting another spell, Perdita readied herself. "Incendio!" A wall of fire appeared blocking the Death Eaters from view. Perdita took her chance. "Protego Horribilis!" She waited for the barrier to completely form before running inside and locking the door. Running into the kitchen and down the stairs she joined her friends.

"You two remember the way out?"

"What about you?"

"Someone needs to stay behind to seal the passage."

"No way!"

"Lee, I need-"

"No, I'm not leaving you Perdy!"

"We don't have a choice! They need you and you need to get patched up!"

"I told you it's a minor-"

"Enough Lee." They both turned to gawk at Mona. Her normal exuberance had been replaced by a somber attitude. She was staring at the tunnel with a pained expression. "Perdita knows what she's doing."

"But…"

"If she doesn't close it they'll just follow us." Turning to Perdita her tone took on a more urgent tone. "Promise me you'll be careful Perdy."

Perdy hesitated. She wasn't sure what would happen after they left, but she knew Mona wouldn't leave without the promise. "Alright."

"Say it."

"I promise." They stared at each other for a moment more before Mona nodded her head and grabbed Lee pulling him towards the brooms. Once they were properly situated on one, they wished Perdy luck and headed off down the pathway. Perdita immediately sealed off the tunnel. She then ran up the stairs to the kitchen where she closed off the stairway. With one last look around she mumbled one last spell. "Incendio." And just like that her home for the past four years was aflame. With a pained expression and tears in her eyes she hurried to the main room. Spotting a small opening in the wall she ran towards it, her body melting into that of a small mink just in time to scurry through the opening.

Once outside, Perdita hesitated to look at her surroundings before scurrying off towards the south end of town. Running behind someone's house she returned to her human figure, fully intending to apparate out of there, when someone managed to catch sight of her and fired off the Killing Curse. Perdita had to dodge behind a tree and then jumped out firing the Disarming Charm. Not missing a beat, another Death Eater jumped forward and caught Perdita off guard with Sectumsempra. Perdita didn't move fast enough and her right shoulder caught the brunt of the curse, blood splattering everywhere. Her body involuntarily fell back. Barely righting herself in time she fired a spell at the Death Eater sending her flying. Taking advantage of the reprieve, her haze-filled mind apparated her to the one safe place she could think of.

With a soft pop and a slight breeze, everything quieted. Perdita had to blink a couple of times before the Burrow finally came into view. Stumbling forward she made her way to the place she had once considered a second home. Within minutes she witnessed a large group run out the door and towards her. Just as they got close her body finally decided it had had enough and collapsed. Her hand, shaking, made its way to the gash on her shoulder. She felt the blood oozing from the wound staining everything it came into contact with. Her eyelids got heavy and briefly she wondered if Mona would be mad she hadn't kept her word. She finally let her eyes close when she saw a familiar fluff of red hair, believing her mind was playing tricks on her. She did, however, manage to hear that fluff of red hair say her name once before darkness took her.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? Let me know!<strong>


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